Posts tagged Advent and Christmas
Allie Papke-Larson: Pouring myself out

Lent is a practice of pouring myself out. An act of emptying out all I have collected in my heart.

Well, at least this is what I am praying for: that I might pour myself out before God and the World, and then be filled up through the promise of Easter.

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Bishop Eaton: The cross on Christmas?

In her December column for Living Lutheran, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reminds us that the cross is the true gift of Christmas: “All of our Christmas glorias are realized in Jesus’ glorification on the cross. We have peace. We have hope. We are loved. And not just at Christmas.” Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/3suio95 and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/32hG0mz.

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Allie Papke-Larson: A reflection on a drawing by Sister Grace Remington

When I first saw this image I felt a wave of release of personal judgement and connection to these two women, a wave full of humanness and grace.

It felt like the meeting of the selves, for me, almost in the way Martin Luther speaks about each person being concurrently Sinner and Saint.

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Remembering the Children: Feast of the Holy Innocents

In July of 2021, the American Indian/Alaska Native Lutheran Association (AIANLA) asked the whole ELCA to remember and lament the children who died in Indian boarding schools in the United States and residential schools in Canada.

As the church observes the Feast of the Holy Innocents*, the Saint Paul Area Synod, the Minneapolis Area Synod, and the Advocates for Racial Equity offer this service of prayer and lament (on Vimeo) for use by individuals and congregations.

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Advent Hymns from Lutheran World Federation’s Hymns of Advent and Christmas

The Lutheran World Federation’s Hymns of Advent and Christmas continues with offerings from around the world: Evangelical Lutheran Church in Botswana, "Re tsamaya Lesedingla Modimo" ("Walk in the Light of God"); Evangelical Lutheran Church in Guyana, "Come O Come, Emmanuel"; The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zambia, "How Beautiful"; Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony, "Veni, veni Emmanuel"; Evangelical Lutheran Church in Colombia, "Bella María"; Bangladesh Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church, "E Dhorom Isại Hoṛ"; Malagasy Lutheran Church, "Fa zaza no teraka" ("A child is born to us"); Union of Protestant Churches of Alsace and Lorraine, "Il est né le divin enfant" ("A Divine Child is Born").

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Daily Advent devotions from Pastor Dan Valasakos

Pastor Dan Valasakos, synod council member and pastor at Mount Zion Lutheran in Tucson, shares a book of Advent daily devotions. Each devotions is accompanied with watercolor illustrations by Valaskos. The book is available on the Mount Zion website through these links: Advent Devotional - Daily Advent Meditations, Advent Devotional Printable Booklet (print two sided -flip at short side).

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Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton: Christmas Message 2021

This is our second pandemic Christmas and there's so much that's broken in this world, so much that tells us, “Why have hope? Just give up.” But we have a hope that's stronger than any of this, stronger even than death. The hope of God comes in the form of a tiny baby, a helpless child. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

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